Kissed by Eternity (14 page)

"Do you like it?" he asked.

I blinked. "Um…." The woman's nearly bare ass stared back at me.

"It's new. Elysian Fields, they call it."

Oh. Right. The incense. "It's rather…strong," I said, waving it away from my face.

He sighed. "Yes. It would have been a great option for covering up the ganja. But that no longer matters." With the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state of Oregon, users wouldn't have to cover up the scent anymore. Not that incense had ever really worked, to be honest. Too bad for Eddie and his wonderful new incense. "But I don't suppose you came to talk about my sales woes," he said, laying the book down on the counter.

"Nope. I've got some questions about portals."

"Oh, portals." He beamed. "That's exciting. Have you been portal traveling again lately?"

"In fact, I have." I quickly told him about my trip to the Otherworld, make that "trips" plural, and about Alister's escape from prison, along with our less than fruitful attempts to find him. "Kabita thinks she might be able to track him through what she called the portal system, and Cordelia agreed, although neither of them would tell me much about it. Have you ever heard of this system?"

His eyes widened. "But of course. Although the system hasn't been used much in centuries."

"You mean other than by the Queen of the Sidhe."

"Well, yes, her. Although she doesn't technically use the system itself. She creates her own portals."

"Yeah," I said. "Kabita told me that. But I want to know more about the system. How does it work? Why are the witches in charge of it? How come I've never heard of it before?"

He laughed. "So many questions. Let me start with the first. I honestly have no idea how it works."

I stared at him for a moment. Today he was wearing red corduroy pants paired with an evergreen-colored button-down shirt. Over the top of that was a navy and white striped waistcoat and a gold bowtie. His usual blinding ensemble.

I glanced around the shop to make sure we were alone. "But you are a Titan," I said in a low voice. "Isn't that like one of the basic tenets of the universe that you're supposed to know?"

"But I'm not all-knowing," he said with a smile. "I've kind of been out of top slot with most of the universe for the last few millennia. My best guess is that it has something to do with wormholes and alternate dimensions. But that's way beyond my pay grade."

I wondered what pay grade you had to be in order to be privy to this sort of information. Being a Titan was kind of like being a god. In fact being a Titan technically made Eddie older than the gods.

"Okay, so forget the technicalities. How does it work for travel?"

He pondered that for a moment. "Let's get the book out, shall we?"

Eddie reached below the counter and pulled out a massive book wrapped in ancient silk. Removing the covering carefully, he placed the book on the counter. The cover was made of thick leather polished to a high sheen. Embossed on the front was a simple representation of the Tree of Life. It was a surprisingly plain looking thing for what it was. Eddie flipped open the cover.

"Please illustrate the portal system." He enunciated each word precisely. At first nothing happened. Then the pages began to turn on their own, finally stopping about halfway through.

"Don't you love having a sentient book?" Eddie rubbed his hands together with glee. "Look at that."

I looked. The page contained an elaborate drawing in rich hues of blue, green, and gold. It seemed to illustrate some kind of tunnel-like system of doorways. The tunnels branched out in crazy patterns with archways opening into what appeared to be various locations. Swirling words littered the pages, apparently describing the illustrations. It looked surprisingly like a simplified version of the London Tube map, only instead of names like "Cockfosters" and "Chorleywood," the labels read "Tenth Level of Hell" and "Los Angeles Central."

"You know how the portal to the Otherworld operates, yes?" Eddie asked.

"Of course," I said. "The queen creates the portal, you step through, and you arrive on the other side. Oh, and you feel like puking when you get there."

Eddie slapped his knees and laughed so hard his belly shook. "Oh my, yes. That's exactly how it feels."

"You've traveled through it before?" I asked.

"Once. Very long ago. All portals essentially work the same way." He placed his finger on one of the illustrations. The doorway opened onto what looked like the Giza Plateau. "They all exist in time and space, but like the djinn, they can be out of phase with our reality. It takes someone with very strong magic to bring the portal entrance into our world so we can use it."

Okay," I said with a nod. "I get that. Kabita seemed to think all the portals were connected."

He traced the line of tunnel things with his finger. "Exactly so. Think of it like a network of tunnels. Only instead of running underground, they run through time and space between different dimensions. And instead of manhole covers leading up onto the street, they use portals that will spill you out into one place or another."

It made perfect sense. The book's illustration showed it clearly. "All right, so how come I've never heard of this before?"

"Well, like I said, it takes an extremely strong magical practitioner to open the portals. There aren't many of those around anymore and there haven't been for several hundred years. No magic workers, no portal travel. It sort of fell out of vogue, if you will, what with modern transportation."

Other than the puking part, I still thought portals were a quicker and better mode of travel, and a lot easier to carry weapons through. TSA sort of frowned on that. "Seems like the portals would be a lot safer than airplanes."

"You'd think so."

I waited.

"The odds of getting run through, blown up, or eaten by hostiles upon exiting the system are approximate one in ten thousand."

"Seems like pretty good odds to me," I said, somewhat relieved.

"The chances of dying in a plane crash are one in eleven million."

There went that idea. "All right, but what about the witches? Why are they in charge?"

"Back when the portals were being used on a regular basis, the powers that be felt it was important to put control of the portals into the hands of someone who wouldn't be easily swayed or corrupted by power."

"The powers that be?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

I took his word for it. "So, these powers, they chose witches."

"Not just any witches," he said. "A very special coven of witches. A genetic bloodline that has existed for centuries, since the dawn of humanity."

"Since the Atlanteans came?" I guessed.

His smile was slow and sly. "As you say."

Suddenly it was all coming together. The ancient bloodline of witches, the portal system, Alister, Michigan, and the grimoire. I'd bet my last dollar that this witch coven, the one that was in charge of the portal system, also was needed for whatever spell was in that grimoire. Which meant Alister would need them too. Fortunately, I'd got to them first. Because I now knew Emory was one of those witches.

"Thanks, Eddie," I said turning toward the door," that's a big help."

"Where are you off to?" he asked.

"I'm off to find me a witch."

Chapter 18

I watched the moon slide up through the velvet black sky. Round and full, glowing with pure, white light. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and drank in the darkness around me. The Darkness within me stirred, drawing energy from the night. It was both my blessing and my curse. A creature who drew energy not from the sun or from blood, but from the shadows. That which had been mankind's natural enemy for centuries, the thing we feared to our very bones, the place where the nightmares hid was the place from where I drew my strength. Talk about fucked up.

We were in Emory's backyard, the overgrown bushes and witch wards providing protection from prying eyes. Emory and her coven sisters were setting out candles. I wondered if all of them were the descendants of the coven Eddie had told me about. I was certain Emory was but not so sure about the others.

Since Emory's coven consisted of only herself and two others, Kabita and Cordelia were joining them for the evening to make up the four elements so Emory could take the center. Although not technically a witch, Kabita had insisted Cordy had enough magic to do what needed doing. Although traditionally a coven of witches was thirteen, three was sufficient. Four was best for calling the corners, or so Kabita had told me. Five was even better. I'd take better.

It was all women tonight. Kabita had told me male energies would muck with the female energy of the full moon. I had no idea what that had to do with the portals and Alister, but I was going with it.

One of the witches approached me, a silver bowl in her hands. She held it out to me like an offering, a slight smile curving her full lips. Her dark, curly hair fell midway down her back, its true color unrecognizable in the darkness. Her skin was dusky in the moonlight, her eyes no more than pools of black. Even my night vision wasn't that good.

"Here," she said. "You will need this later in the ritual."

"Oh, I'm not part of the ritual."

Her smile widened. "Sure you are."

"No, seriously I'm not. I'm just here for information. I'm not a witch." And I really wanted nothing to do with the portals. The queen's portal was enough for me.

She gazed at me for a long time. I tried to remember her name. Something exotic. It just wouldn't come to me. Finally she spoke.

"Everyone here tonight, everyone who seeks knowledge, must participate in the ritual. Must be bound by the ritual." She gave me a look that told me there was a great deal of meaning to her word choice. Especially the "bound" part. The idea didn't sit well with me.

"I have no magic." It was the truth as far as it went. I had tons of magic, it just wasn't the kind necessary for tonight's little shindig.

She tilted her head to one side and eyed me much like a cat might eye a tasty bird. She laid one hand on my arm, her dusky skin a sharp contrast to the glowing alabaster of my own. "Oh yes," she said slowly. "You have a great deal of magic."

Wonderful. She could sense the powers inside me. Not exactly my idea of a plus. "I'm not a witch. I don't have witch magic."

"Nor does your friend, Cordelia, and yet she is willing to lend us what she does have. For the greater good."

I felt guilty, which pissed me off. "I know nothing about the portals."

"And yet you called one."

I stared at her for a moment. "How did you know that? Sorry, what was your name?"

She didn't bat an eyelash. "Veronique. But my friends call me Veri. As to how I knew about the portal, we all know about the portal."

Fantastic. Now I had a coven of witches poking their noses in my business. Just what I needed.

"Fine. Veri." I took the bowl. Inside was some kind of goop I didn't want to name. "But if this goes wrong, don't blame me."

She laughed lightly and padded barefoot across the grass to where the circle would be. She glanced over her shoulder. "You better hope nothing goes wrong."

Was that a threat? I wasn't sure if I liked this Veri person or not. Unlike Emory, there was a shrewdness about her which made me uncomfortable. And yet Emory had chosen her as part of the coven, so she couldn't be that bad. Right? However, she was definitely hiding something.

I shook my head. Not my monkeys, not my circus. I had bigger things to worry about than coven politics. I needed information, and if Veronique was one of the people I needed to help me get it, then I would damn well use her.

"We're ready," Emory called.

I walked over to join them. Cordelia, Veronique, Kabita, and the other witch, Lene, stood at the four corners of the circle. Each one held a white unlit candle in her hand. They were barefoot, their toes curled in the cool grass, and wore flowing white gowns reminiscent of something from a painting of fairies. Even Kabita had shed her usual skintight black jeans for a dress. Frankly, it was a little bizarre seeing her decked out that way.

Emory made me stand in the middle of the circle with my bowl. Beneath my hands was a small brazier on a tripod. Inside glowed several coals which Emory had taken from the fire pit. The warmth radiated on the back of my hands and my jean-clad shins.

Satisfied I was in exactly the right spot, Emory began to walk the circle, chanting while she drew a thin line of salt. The others remained in their positions, silent. Once the circle was drawn, Emory commenced with the calling of the four corners. She paced toward Veri, stopping in front of her.

"Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, powers of air and creation. Hear Me!"

Veri's candlewick burst into flame. Emory stepped to her right, stopping in front of Lene.

"Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, powers of fire and emotion. Hear Me!"

Lene's candle caught flame, picking out the golden highlights in her hair. She smiled at Emory as if a magically lit candle was just the best thing ever. Emory walked over to Cordelia, who was looking a little nervous

"Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, powers of water and awareness. Hear Me!"

Cordy looked a little worried when her candle lit, but she held steady. I grinned at her, and she seemed to relax.

Kabita was next.

"Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, powers of mother and earth. Hear Me!"

Huh. I hadn't associated Kabita with anything motherly, although she was awfully bossy. Still, the candle cupped in her hands burst into flame.

I expected them to put their candles down and do something interesting, but they remained where they were, me in the center with my bowl, them at the four corners with their candles. Emory paced slowly toward me, something grasped in the palm of her hand. She stopped directly across the brazier from me, and let whatever was in her hands drop onto the hot coals. There was a small burst of flame, and a cloud of pungent smoke. Herbs of some kind, I guessed. I coughed and tried to wave the worst of the smoke away.